In this workshop we’ll discuss the myths about publishing and break down some of the barriers. We’ll cover the difference between a creative collaborator and a ghostwriter, the dos and don’ts of writing book proposals that sell, and getting the most out of your interview subjects.

The Cabin’s free and open writing workshop, held from 6:30 – 8:00 PM on the first and third Tuesday of each month. The 1st Tuesday of the month will take place in person at the Cabin and the 3rd Tuesday of the month will take place online via Zoom. It is hosted by writers Danny Stewart, Natalie Disney, and other guest writers who create unique prompts designed to inspire a supportive community of local writers.

The decorated author of novels Homeland Elegies and American Dervish, and Broadway plays Junk and Disgraced, the latter winning the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, joins The Cabin to talk about his forthcoming novel, The Radiance.

Includes a hardcover copy of Akhtar’s forthcoming novel, The Radiance!

Stories (and novels) all too often sag in the middle. Even a very good opening can give way to a predictable story. This class will focus on the principles of complication (making the central conflict increasingly pressing) and oscillation (shuttling characters between emotional “poles” or “story values”) as ways of avoiding the mid-narrative slump.

The Cabin’s free and open writing workshop, held from 6:30 – 8:00 PM on the first and third Tuesday of each month. The 1st Tuesday of the month will take place in person at the Cabin and the 3rd Tuesday of the month will take place online via Zoom. It is hosted by writers Danny Stewart, Heidi Kraay, and other guest writers who create unique prompts designed to inspire a supportive community of local writers.

The award-winning author of bestselling novels like Station Eleven, The Glass Hotel, and Sea of Tranquility, brings her imagination to the Readings & Conversations stage to speak about her new novel, Exit Party. 

Includes a hardcover copy of Mandel’s forthcoming novel, Exit Party!

Readers of different genres expect different things out of an ending. Workshop participants will cover a wide variety of possibilities, including reversals, epiphanies, symbolic and inconclusive endings. They will also discuss what makes an ending satisfying? And: Should all endings be satisfying? Finally, participants will write the ending to a story outline.

The Cabin’s free and open writing workshop, held from 6:30 – 8:00 PM on the first and third Tuesday of each month. The 1st Tuesday of the month will take place in person at the Cabin and the 3rd Tuesday of the month will take place online via Zoom. It is hosted by writers Danny Stewart, Natalie Disney, and other guest writers who create unique prompts designed to inspire a supportive community of local writers.

In this class, participants will discuss two methods of approaching a novel draft, the first leaning on Vladimir Propp’s Morphology of a Folk Tale and the second using a page taken from Joseph Campbell’s The Hero’s Journey (there’s more to it than one might think). Participants will share ideas for novels and talk about the habits of a successful writing life.

The first class on novel drafting took a structured approach. But that’s not the only way to write a novel—far from it. Participants will discuss writer Jesse Ball’s odd approach as well as Robert Olen Butler’s even odder notecard method. And Jane Allison’s Meander, Spiral, Explode. The group will talk about the balance between structure and free-wheeling inspiration.

This class will cover both short stories and novels. Participants will talk in practical terms: How should you use feedback from beta readers? How should you plan a revision? They’ll also talk about reimagining characters, increasing narrative tension, and cutting. Finally, the group will spend a fair amount of time discussing individual student's projects, helping one another see new avenues forward.

Celebrated author of the bestselling novel Pachinko visits Boise to talk about the intersection of immigration, class, religion, and the identity of a diasporic people, while introducing her new book, American Hagwon. 

Includes a hardcover copy of Lee’s forthcoming novel, American Hagwon!

Influential and bestselling author of The Big Short, Moneyball, and Going Infinite joins The Cabin for the first time to talk about his career covering Wall Street, politics, technology, and his new book, Blockers. 

Includes a hardcover copy of Lewis’s forthcoming book, Blockers!